Gold star!

Looks can be deceiving...

It was an absolutely beautiful and summery weekend on dry land, but the River Thames had other ideas!

Because an odd number of people turned up for the ladies squad outing on Saturday morning, the coaches decided to put together a IV, three doubles, and a single scull. I am the only person in the squad who actually enjoys single sculling, so when they said that I would be in the single, I was so happy!

I pretty much shot up the river right away to do my warm up, whilst the others sorted their boats out. The sun was shining, the river was calm, and although I was rowing against the stream, it felt easier than usual, which was great. When I got up to the weir to turn around, I took off a couple of layers because it was such a warm day.

You can't step into the same river twice

Normally the journey downstream is the fastest, because you're carried by the current to a certain extent. On Saturday, however, the river seemed to have had a personality change. The usually helpful and accommodating downstream journey was tough! The currents were so strong that it felt as though I was hardly moving! I had to push down with my legs as hard as I could with every single stroke! The waves were lapping over my boat from every direction! It was bizarre to say the least! My warm up was definitely complete by the time I got back to the water near the boat club! I turned my boat around again to do the second loop of the river.

On the way back upstream, we had to do a continuous 16 minute piece, which meant that we had to do 2K at race pace, turn at the weir, and shoot right back downstream again without taking a break. The conditions going upstream were as lovely as they had been when I did them the first time that morning, so I assumed that the freak conditions on the other side of the river had been just that - freak conditions. So I happily raced up to the weir, turned and raced back downstream. But again, on the downstream journey, I was moving, but the boat wasn't. It was a battle to get that single scull to shift against the horrible currents and the wind and the waves. It was like rowing on two different rivers going each way!

Sea-legs

As I was powering along, I passed some quads, IV's and doubles, and they were not moving much either. They didn't catch up with me or overtake me, which is very unusual! So I realised that the conditions that day were affecting everyone.

My legs and glutes were struggling! I did one more loop, and I could feel the lumps of tension forming in my glutes as I crunched over them! It was a real test of endurance and willpower! I gave that third and final loop everything I had, and then I took my boat back in to the boathouse.

When I paddled up to the landing stage, I couldn't actually stand up! I had to roll out of the boat onto the landing stage (and the bird poo...) for a second before my legs were of any use to me! I put my boat away and went up to the cafe to wait for the rest of the ladies squad to finish their outing.

Small Victories

As the ladies started to drift up to the cafe, they each congratulated me on surviving out there in my single. I was really pleased with myself, to say the least, and even the coaches were impressed, which is unheard of! Andy likened the conditions to the North Sea! Charlotte, who had been in a double, said that I deserved a gold star, so I will take that and allow myself to enjoy that small achievement for a while until the next challenge!

Back on the river after a month!

Today was my first outing in a boat in exactly 4 weeks! It was so exciting to have my first outing with the new club this morning! I went out in a quad with some of the ladies. A 6am start has never felt so good! I didn't care what the weather was going to be like, I just wanted to get out there into the elements!

There is a 2k stretch of river upstream from the club to the lock, and we did 8 lengths in total, which was 16k. It felt so good. We did a few 1k and 2k race-pace pieces at around 28 s/m. Such a treat after coming from a club with just a 700m downstream stretch; although, rowing on the Avon did have its advantages. It is fairly narrow, which means you get very good at steering. On the Thames, it seems that people don't get to hone that particular skill. We crashed into two other boats and narrowly missed a swan. There was another collision near the boat club when a double and a single collided and their riggers became locked into place so they couldn't separate. They then crashed into another boat, and it was the impact of that crash which separated them. So, I'd best look out when the responsibility of steering falls to me.

My core muscles are still feeling bruised from Thursday's session, but I'm not aching, thank goodness. I could really feel my stomach muscles engaging as I did the rock-over at the start of each stroke today. They're definitely getting stronger!

16k? Try 8446 miles!

Emma Mitchell, one of the women who recently completed an epic 8446 mile row across the Pacific Ocean, was at the boat club today. What an incredible achievement! Unfortunately I live in a cave with no TV, so I didn't see the news or know anything about it until today. She was very friendly and unassuming, and smiled shyly as the coaches told me all about her exploits. So impressive! And there I was, feeling good about my 16k!

By the time I got back home it was lunchtime, and I hadn't eaten any breakfast, so I was hungry! A nice bowl of chicken and spaghetti went down well. No more outings until next Saturday, but plenty of land-training to keep me busy until then.

Rowing: The Inside Scoop on My Training Schedule & A Little Secret!

Now that I'm starting to get settled in the new place, I decided to re-started my weight training routine today! It felt so good!

Choosing to use a 'man and van' rather than a removal company, I did a lot of the actual moving myself. Woman + man + van. So, that was quite hard work, but lugging boxes around the new flat has been great exercise!

As part of the performance team at Stratford-upon-Avon Boat Club, we had to do weekly 'strength and conditioning' (i.e. weights) sessions - amongst other things. I attended the last session two weeks ago, and then moved house. I'm still looking for a new rowing club to join, but I've got some weights at home, so I can keep in shape at times like these.

Weekly Training Schedule

When I'm in full training, my routine looks something like this:

Monday: Erg (i.e. rowing machine) session (pm)
Tuesday: Strength & Conditioning (i.e. weights) session (pm)
Wednesday or Friday: Single scull - technical session (am)
Thursday: 12K Erg session (am / pm)
Saturday: 2 x Sweep / Sculling - coached session (am)
Sunday: 2 x Sweep / Sculling - coached session (am)

And the secret... 2 - 5 Yoga sessions per week!

Yoga!?

I actually started with yoga before doing weights, and that improved my overall core strength and stability really quickly! It was great to have the strong core already when starting the weights training, because it meant that I could focus on technique rather than balance. Thanks to yoga, I am more mindful and aware of my body during each exercise, which means that I know how things should feel, and where I should be feeling the workout, which reduces my risk of injury.

No matter what your sport, or your lifestyle, yoga is probably the most beneficial thing you can do! It has given me strength and flexibility, regulated my appetite, improved my breathing (which is another massive topic that is vastly underrated / misunderstood), and improved my posture. Again, the benefits of a good posture for your health and wellbeing are immeasurable will be carried well into your old age!

I'm looking forward to getting back into a proper routine again, but until then, I can keep up with the yoga and weights.

Thanks for reading!

The Results! Northampton Head Race 2016

So, the results of the races were published today! Our Novice four was actually entered in the next category above, which is IM3. That means we were competing against people who have won racing finals before! We came third, being beaten by the team in second place by only 8 seconds! I'm so pleased!

In the second race, our double was beaten by 1 minute and 21 seconds, and we were just 12 seconds ahead of the double in 3rd place. Room for improvement, but a good steady performance in the boat.

Sadly, that was my last competition representing Stratford-upon-Avon Boat Club, because I have moved to Berkshire, so I won't be rowing with those ladies again. But it has given me some goals to work towards in terms of times to train for.

Looking forward to choosing a new club and getting settled into a routine again!

Northampton Head Race 2016!

I competed in my first head race today! I am quite new to competitive rowing, having only just competed in two regattas for the first time last Summer. So, today was going to be the deciding factors as to whether or not head races are for me.

The First Race - Division 2

My first race was in a coxed novice 4 (i.e. a coxed sweep boat with four ladies, where we each have one oar and no racing points between us) in Division 2 at 10:00am. We had to boat (i.e. get our boats on the water) at 09:30am, which meant that we had to get to Northampton Rowing Club roughly an hour before the race. Luckily, our lovely coaches had arrived well before us and done all the necessaries with racing control before we even got there.

Wet socks!

It was an overcast morning, but dry and warm enough. Good start! One of the regattas I competed in was at Ross-on-Wye, at the end of the Summer. It was cold and there was a persistent drizzle. No matter what I did, I could not get warm or dry. It was horrible. Plus I as stepped into the river to get out of the boat (because not all boat clubs have nice dry landing stages), I misjudged the depth of the water and found myself knee deep with wellies full of water. Not a pleasant experience.

Anyway! When we got to Northampton boat club we re-rigged our boat and then we went for a walk along the river to check out the course. The river Nene is so nice! So long and wide, which is a real treat after rowing at the lovely Stratford-upon-Avon Boat Club with its short stretch of river. Once we'd familiarised ourselves with the shape of the river, we headed back to the boat club and wait to be called down to the landing stage. And that was when the sun made an appearance and set the race off to a great start.

Head Races vs Regattas

Head races are nothing like regattas and not really spectator events, although spectators are welcome. There's a lot of hanging around, and rather than racing to get across the finish line first, you are racing against the clock. The team with the best time, in their category, wins. As I am writing this article, the winners have not yet been announced.

Division 2 was quite small, not many entrants, so once we'd rowed downstream to the start, we didn't have to wait long to be sent off. The race was 1800m in length, but bear in mind that we had to row up there to start with, so that was 3600m in total. In our boat was Amy at stroke position, Simone at 3, Lucy at 2, and me at bow position. Amy and Simone completed their learn to row course in the Summer (2015), and Lucy has been rowing for a couple of months. I learned to row in September 2013, and I started training for competitions in May 2015. Our cox, Jen, is very experienced, having coxed for roughly 8 years, and she is fantastic!

Team Work

As a crew, we have only been rowing together for about a month, but the boat felt amazing! So balanced, and in sync. We were all so pleased (albeit tired) at the end of the race!

In my experience, rowing in a double or in a crew is like a good friendship. You have to be patient, forgive each other, and like each other! You can then trust each other and work together on rowing technique. If you don't have a good relationship, it is still possible to work together, but there will be resistance and slow progress. Either way, there has to be some give and take.

When we got the boat off the river, we de-rigged it and put it back on the trailer because no other crews from our club needed it. We had some really good feedback from our coaches and the other club members who had been watching, which was really reassuring. The girls headed off home, but I had to hang around for my second race at 14:45pm in Division 4. Racing in a double with Emily. We'd only had a few outings together (maybe 4 or 5) and it just worked, so I was feeling confident.

The Second Race - Division 4

Our double had already been used in an earlier division, so it was rigged and ready! I'd already rowed the course in Division 2, so I was ready to steer. Emily was at stroke and I was at bow position. This time, however, there were loads of boats in our division! It was an experience. Because there was a mad rush to get all the boats onto the water, the helpers from the boat club were practically pushing us into our boats and away from the landing stage. My wellies were wedged firmly on my feet because my socks were wet, so one of the marshals very kindly prised them off my feet for me whilst I hoped around!

Parallel Parking...

On the way down to the start of the race we had to 'park' our boats in the riverbank as we waited to be summoned. It was an interesting situation... Normally when rowing you avoid the banks at all cost! There was a bit of a queue to get started, so there was a lot of sitting around. The sun had disappeared, so it was a little bit chilly.

Emily and I were so pleased with how things went! Because it's still early days for us, we focussed mainly on our technique and making every stroke count as opposed to getting a higher rating (i.e. a number of strokes per minute). But we still managed to build up some good speed! Our fellow club members were cheering for us from the bank. It makes such a difference to have people cheering you on.

At the end of the race, we de-rigged our boat and I got changed. One of the perks of being at bow position is that you get splashed. So although it hadn't rained, I was soggy. And then home!

So, will I be doing another head race?

I feel like I was a bit spoilt with the nice weather today. It is Winter, and it would normally be a lot more wintery. You can't predict the weather, but you can prepare and do your best regardless. In future, I'll probably just enter one division instead of two (although the socialising in between was fun), but yes, I will be entering more head races next year.

The End

Catching the Rowing Bug!

When I got into that first boat, I was hooked!

The End.

Learn to Row Course - Warwick Boat Club

I did the Learn to Row course at Warwick Boat Club when I moved there just over 3 years ago. I was new to the area, and I'd just driven over the bridge overlooking the castle when I saw the sign: 'Learn to Row'. I searched online for the boat club and signed up right away!

Warwick Boat Club is relatively small as boat clubs go, and each learn to row course had a maximum capacity of 8 people. I signed up in February 2013 and was on a waiting list, until a space became available in September 2013.

Winter is Coming...

Learning to row in the early Autumn, early in the morning, when it was cold and frosty, was arguably the best time to learn! It's easy to be seduced by warm days on the river, with the beautiful Warwick Castle as a backdrop, and to think that rowing is all about sunbathing and picnics. In the winter, however, the frostbite and runny noses separate the men from the boys.

At the end of our first session, the coaches asked if anyone wanted to go out in a training single. It was a wide yellow boat. More akin to a kayak than a fine single scull, but it was relatively stable, although it had no additional floats. I was the only one crazy enough to jump at the chance. Luckily I managed to stay dry and afloat, but it was at that moment that I knew I'd found my sport!

You've Gotta Go Back to Go Forward

Although I knew that you row backwards - I'd seen it on TV and in Cambridge were I grew up - but doing it is very different. It took me a while to fight the urge to row forwards so I could see where I was going. I managed to row up to the weir and back, and to park the boat back alongside the pontoon. I was absolutely buzzing when I'd finished!

We were lucky in our learn to row course that we did mostly sculling, which is unusual as learn to row courses go, as they tend to favour sweep oar rowing. We did, however, go along to the rowing tank at the University of Oxford to do some practice there. It was very good because the coaches could walk alongside us and really see what we were doing so they could give us some tips. I have only recently started sweep rowing more regularly, and I'll be competing in a IV at the Northampton head race on Saturday (weather permitting).

A Good Fit

Rowing is the best sport or exercise activity for overall strength and fitness that I have ever done! It works out your whole body! The fact that I love it is reason enough for me to row, but the fitness benefits are a real added bonus. Professional rowers also have the largest lung capacity of any sport, so the benefits are truly holistic!

You can row recreationally or as a hobby, but if you want to row more competitively, you can! Whatever you want to achieve, the only barriers to progression are your time and commitments. There are competitions throughout the year, the main ones being the regattas in the Summer, and then the head races and mini-heads throughout the Autumn and Winter.

Warwick Boat Club was a brilliant place to learn. The learn to row course was very well organised and the coaches were friendly and professional. The club had a really good social calendar, so newbies could integrate easily.

If that has piqued your interest, check out the British Rowing website for a club near you.

Get down to your local boat club today and Learn to Row!